"Firms Perceived to Fake Social Responsibility Become Targets for Hackers, Study Shows"
Recent reports show that the frequency and sophistication of data breaches are continuing to grow. Studies show that data breaches compromise an average of more than 3.8 million records every day. New research from the University of Notre Dame suggests that a firm's social performance is a contributing factor to its likelihood of facing a cyberattack that leads to a data breach. A firm's social performance is measured by its engagement in socially responsible or irresponsible activities. Evidence shows that not all hackers are financially-motivated. Recent attacks against the World Health Organization (WHO), National Institutes of Health, and others due to responses to the coronavirus pandemic have been cited as examples that support this notion. The study also shows that firms considered bad actors regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) are usually no more likely to experience a breach than firms with a strong record of CSR. This article continues to discuss the study on how a firm's CSR presentation, strengths, and weaknesses impact its risk of facing a breach.